Exploring the Inner Imagery: Understanding Our Mental Pictures
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Chapter 1: The Orange Experiment
Take a moment to indulge in a simple thought exercise.
Imagine an orange and pay attention to your mental experience.
Are you able to visualize the fruit?
Your response could be a confident “yes” or a puzzled “no.”
If you can see it, you might not have considered that some individuals cannot, and vice versa.
When I envision an orange, I picture a round, orange-hued sphere, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Its surface is dimpled, adorned with tiny indentations. At the top, there's a small greenish nub where it once hung from the tree, and at the bottom, a noticeable indentation. I see the orange in vivid detail—more so than about two-thirds of the population.
If your answer was “no,” you might be curious about what I’m describing. Most likely, your experience sits somewhere on a spectrum, from detailed imagery to none at all.
Now, recall a personal memory. Here’s mine:
I find myself on a beach, listening to the gentle waves lapping at the shore. I can feel the coarse towel beneath me and the gritty sand between my toes, which irritates my skin. I rise to brush off the sand and notice children selling trinkets to tourists further down the beach. We bought some silver from them yesterday and promised to bring back toiletries.
One girl, dressed in a colorful sari, stands nearby, while her younger siblings showcase their items—sandalwood necklaces and silver rings. Vanessa is reading, and I contemplate taking a swim. The warm breeze contrasts sharply with the chilly weather of northern England in February.
From the water, I glance back at the beach, the huts, and a small bar where a man has been sitting all morning. An older gentleman practices yoga, reminiscent of the 1960s when Goa attracted free spirits in search of love and enlightenment. His sun-kissed skin is taut, and his thinning gray hair complements his wise demeanor.
The children gather around Vanessa, drawn to her natural charm, which balances my own social awkwardness. It’s quieter here than along the rest of the beach, and it took us some time to find this serene spot. I linger in the water before returning to Vanessa, who is engaged in conversation with the children, though I can’t quite catch their words. I feel the sun drying the sea salt from my skin.
These are my mental images, vivid as they may be, though not necessarily accurate.
Section 1.1: Memory and Learning
Do you recall what you studied in school?
You might have a vague recollection, but specific details may escape you.
Section 1.2: Understanding Aphantasia
The phenomenon of not being able to conjure internal images has recently attracted scientific attention and has been termed aphantasia. Conversely, those who experience exceptionally vivid internal imagery are labeled as having hyperphantasia. Most individuals are unaware that their experiences differ from those of others; we tend to assume everyone perceives things similarly.
The Science Behind Imagery
It wasn't until 2015, when psychologist Adam Zeman published his findings, that researchers began to delve into the nuances of internal perception. As a professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology at the University of Exeter Medical School, Zeman introduced the term congenital aphantasia to explain a condition characterized by an inability to generate mental imagery.
In his initial study, Zeman detailed the case of a 65-year-old man who could not form mental images following a medical procedure. After its publication, over twenty individuals reached out to Zeman, recognizing themselves in the case. A significant number of these individuals had lived with this condition their entire lives, often unaware that others could visualize images in their minds.
Aphantasia is officially defined as a reduction or absence of visual imagery, though this definition has its limitations. In Zeman’s preliminary study, half of the respondents reported a complete lack of imagery across various senses, while the other half experienced sporadic flashes of visualization. Despite this, most reported dreaming with imagery, and about a quarter indicated that family members also exhibited signs of aphantasia, hinting at a possible genetic link.
This suggests that the ability to visualize may exist on a spectrum rather than being an absolute condition. However, as research is still in its infancy, many questions remain unanswered.
A deeper understanding of the causes of aphantasia is lacking. Notably, brain structure differences exist between those who visualize and those who do not. Interestingly, a quieter visual cortex appears to correlate with stronger internal imagery. Our brains are always active, but some neurons fire more rapidly than others, which seems to relate to weaker visual imagery.
Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, researchers can stimulate specific brain regions, inducing visual hallucinations. This is more effective in individuals with more active brains.
The Importance of Mental Imagery
As for how significant these differences in mental imagery are, we still don't have a clear answer. Individuals with aphantasia generally don't seem troubled by their condition, often unaware that their experience deviates from the norm.
However, a 2020 study by cognitive neuroscientist Alexei Dawes and his team at the University of New South Wales revealed that individuals with aphantasia reported diminished abilities to recall past events, envision future scenarios, and, in some cases, even dream. When they did dream, the experiences were less vivid and contained fewer sensory details. This raises questions about the role of visual imagery in long-term episodic or autobiographical memory.
It’s possible to know significant life events, such as a wedding, without vividly recalling them, a condition known as Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM). Conversely, some individuals possess Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), allowing them to recall experiences in striking detail.
While this research is still evolving, it has already unveiled intriguing insights into the individual differences in perceptual imagery and memory recall.
Chapter 2: Visualizing the Orange
In this engaging video, we explore the effects of drinking orange juice on our health and what happens in our bodies.
Chapter 3: The Health Debate
This thought-provoking video explains why orange juice may not be as healthy as you think, featuring insights from Dr. Daniel Amen.